CHEYENNE COUNTY, CO HISTORY AND LOOKUP
County History Books
*None Listed
Cheyenne County, Colorado: A Genealogical Overview
Located on the vast high plains of Colorado’s eastern border with Kansas, Cheyenne county is a land defined by the railroad, ranching, and the legacy of the Cheyenne people. Its history reflects the challenges and perseverance of homesteading, dryland farming, and life in a sparsely populated prairie environment.
I. County Formation and Evolution
For genealogists, Cheyenne county’s late 19th-century formation means that records for ancestors living in the area before 1889 must be sought in the records of its two parent counties.
- 1889: County Formed: Cheyenne county was established by the Colorado General Assembly on March 25, 1889.
- Parent Counties: It was created from the eastern portions of Bent and Elbert counties.
- Name Origin: The county is named in honor of the Cheyenne Nation, the Native American people who inhabited and hunted across the plains of eastern Colorado.
- County Seat History: Cheyenne Wells was designated as the county seat at the time of the county’s creation and has remained the seat of government ever since.
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: The area was the traditional homeland and primary buffalo hunting grounds of the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. The Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, a pivotal and tragic event in Colorado history, occurred in the region that was then part of Arapahoe county, just south of modern Cheyenne county’s borders.
- Railroad and Settlement: Significant American settlement did not begin until the arrival of the Kansas Pacific Railway in the late 1860s. The railroad established service towns across the plains, and Cheyenne Wells became a key stop for water and supplies.
- Homesteading and Agriculture: Homesteaders were drawn to the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to attempt farming and ranching. The economy has always been dominated by agriculture, specifically cattle ranching and dryland wheat farming. The region was severely impacted by the drought and dust storms of the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s, leading to significant population changes.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides practical information for locating ancestral records specific to Cheyenne county.
- Courthouse:
- Cheyenne County Clerk and Recorder: Located at 51 South 1st Street, Cheyenne Wells, CO 80810. This office is the primary repository for land records (deeds), marriage licenses, and other official county documents from 1889 to the present. For records prior to March 1889, researchers must consult the records of Bent and Elbert counties.
- Cheyenne County Combined Court: This court holds probate, civil, and other court records for the county.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in Denver holds birth records from 1910 and death records from 1900. Local health departments may provide more recent certificates.
- Marriage Records: Marriage records from 1889 to the present are held by the Cheyenne County Clerk and Recorder.
- Libraries and Museums:
- Cheyenne Wells Public Library: Located at 151 S 1st Street, Cheyenne Wells, CO 80810. It provides local resources for historical research.
- Eastern Colorado Historical Society & Old Cheyenne County Jail Museum: Located in Cheyenne Wells, this museum is an essential resource for local history, photographs, and information on pioneer families.
- Bordering Jurisdictions:
- Kiowa County, CO
- Kit Carson County, CO
- Lincoln County, CO
- Greeley County, KS
- Sherman County, KS
- Wallace County, KS